I also think that there’s a struggle over resources that is creating a cycle of violence that’s going on between western countries and Islamic fundamentalists, and that cycle doesn’t seem like it will be broken anytime soon.

The NAIN offers a unique opportunity to include younger representatives (ages 16-35) in a valuable interfaith encounter during the 2013 NAINConnect in Toronto, ON, Canada. This scholarship recognizes young adults across the continent who are actively engaged in important work at the high school, college, graduate, and professional level.

Our first day in Panama, we stepped off the plane and into the synagogue, a large, beautiful building with a wrought iron gate to seal the deal. Of the sixteen of us on the trip, I, being the daughter of an Argentine immigrant, was the only one who spoke fluent Spanish and I noticed many of my traveling companions already felt out of place since every time they wanted to ask for something they needed me to translate for them.

That was not the case, and I knew it wouldn’t be when my teacher paused and took a look at the classroom after the opening slide of the presentation was up. She seemed to be thinking carefully as to what she was going to say. Finally she took a deep breath and asked a simple, but striking question, “How many of you have had or have negative thoughts about Islam or Muslims in general?”

Recently, three Muslim teenage girls from India–Aneeqa Khalid, Noma Nazir, and Farah Deeba–started a rock band called Praagaash, which means “from darkness to light.” They were the only female band in the national Battle of the Bands in the Kashmiri capital of Srinagar this past December. The band quickly received a lot of attention, but soon afterwards, their situation took a turn to the worse.

After last week’s #DCfaith twitter chat, I began thinking more about my experiences with interfaith in my small town. Although at least one interfaith group exists where I live, I never seem to hear about events until after they’ve already happened, and as far as I know, none of them have been specifically for youth.

I’ve listed five interfaith resources to guide you in making some green changes around your home and in your house of worship. Feel free to share additional suggestions of interfaith organizations working with climate change or environmental justice in the comments section below!

Having armed guards at every school is a bad idea because at Columbine High School, they did the same thing and it was useless. Arming teachers is also a bad idea because I wouldn’t feel safe in school with teachers having guns on them. What if a teacher gets mad and shoots a kid?

As a result, because she is a female rapper in Afghanistan, some people call her on the phone and threaten to spray acid in her face. Her father gave up his job to protect her, because he was worried that his daughter was going to get hurt on her way to the studios every day. Even worse, because she does all these things and breaks the social norms in Afghanistan, some people in her own family have disowned her.

I speak from personal experience. I have a brother with so-called “learning issues” and although he does have difficulty learning, I don’t think it is so much a problem of his, but a problem of the system. He never decided what way of learning was best for him. My parents have struggled, and are still struggling to fit him into the rigid education system that becomes more stale with each passing year.

***Announcement from Americans for Informed Democracy (AIDemocracy)*********
Americans for Informed Democracy (AIDemocracy) is a national youth network debating and speaking out about US global engagement. We are young global citizens demanding a more peaceful, healthy, just and sustainable world. We are seeking a new class of Innovators in Cultural Diplomacy, as part of our flagship Hope Not Hate program fostering greater understanding between the US and Muslim worlds. Innovators are proven young leaders eager to lead dialogue and events promoting interfaith understanding on their campuses and in their communities.